Chapter 4: The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
I stared at the message until the letters stopped looking real.
Your father is alive.
Four words.
Four words that should have meant nothing.
But they changed everything.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
I wanted to throw the phone away.
I wanted to pretend I never saw it.
Because I had spent three years building my entire life around one simple truth:
My mother was dead.
My father was gone.
And Devon and I were alone.
Now, in less than an hour, both of those things had been destroyed.
"Elijah?""
Devon's voice pulled me back.
I quickly locked my phone.
He was standing beside me, holding the sleeve of my jacket.
That was something he did when he was scared.
He had done it when Mom went to the hospital.
He had done it the night the police came to our house.
He had done it every time life changed without asking us.
"What is it?"" he asked.
I forced a smile.
"Nothing.""
He looked at me.
Devon was eight.
But he knew me better than anyone.
"You're doing the face.""
I frowned.
"What face?""
"The face you make when something is wrong but you don't want me to know.""
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Because that was the problem with Devon.
He always noticed.
I crouched down.
"Hey.""
He looked at me.
"No matter what happens, okay?""
His eyes became nervous.
"Are we leaving?""
"No.""
"Are they taking me?""
The question hit harder than I expected.
I grabbed his shoulders.
"Nobody is taking you anywhere.""
"But Mom came back.""
I didn't know what to say.
Because I didn't know what Mom coming back meant.
For three years, I had wanted that moment.
I imagined it a thousand times.
I imagined opening the door and seeing her standing there.
I imagined running into her arms.
I imagined crying.
I imagined finally being a kid again.
But the reality was different.
The person I missed had returned carrying secrets.
And those secrets had names.
Daniel Cole.
My father.
The man I thought had abandoned us.
The man who might have been the reason my mother disappeared.
The man who was apparently alive.
A few feet away, my mother was speaking quietly with her lawyer.
She looked exhausted.
Older.
Like she had been fighting a battle nobody knew existed.
I hated that part of me still wanted to protect her.
Even after everything.
"Elijah.""
I looked up.
She was standing in front of me.
Not too close.
She kept her distance.
Like she was afraid I would move away.
"I need to tell you something.""
I stood.
"What?""
Her eyes moved toward Devon.
"Not here.""
I almost laughed.
"Not here?""
She nodded.
"I know how that sounds.""
"It sounds like every other time.""
Pain crossed her face.
"What does that mean?""
"It means every time someone says they need to explain something, it means there's something they didn't tell me.""
She looked down.
Because she knew I was right.
"I should have told you more.""
"Yes.""
My answer came too quickly.
She closed her eyes.
"I know.""
The courtroom doors opened.
A police officer stepped inside.
The judge's assistant walked behind him.
"Ms. Cole?""
My mother turned.
"Yes?""
The officer held out a folder.
"We need to speak with you.""
Her face changed.
"What happened?""
He looked uncomfortable.
"We received a report regarding the identity documents you submitted.""
My mother's expression tightened.
"What report?""
The officer glanced at me.
Then at Devon.
Then back at her.
"Someone is claiming you are not Marissa Cole.""
The air disappeared from my lungs.
"What?""
My mother went pale.
"Who?""
The officer didn't answer.
Instead, he handed her the folder.
She opened it.
The color drained from her face.
I stepped closer.
"What is it?""
She didn't respond.
"Mom.""
That word came out before I could stop it.
Her eyes lifted.
And for a second, she looked like the mother I remembered.
Not the stranger from the courtroom.
Not the woman with secrets.
Just Mom.
She handed me the paper.
I read the first line.
My hands started shaking.
"Request for investigation of fraudulent identity.""
I looked at her.
"What does this mean?""
She took the paper back.
"It means someone is trying to prove I am not your mother.""
"Are they?""
The question hurt both of us.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Elijah.""
"Are they right?""
"No.""
She stepped closer.
"I am your mother.""
I wanted to believe her.
But then I remembered the message.
Don't trust your mother.
My father is alive.
The officer cleared his throat.
"Ms. Cole, we need you to come with us to answer some questions.""
My body reacted before my brain did.
"She's not going anywhere.""
Everyone looked at me.
The officer softened his expression.
"Son, this is not about taking her away.""
But I didn't care.
Because I knew what it felt like to watch someone disappear.
"I already lost my family once.""
My voice shook.
"I'm not standing here and watching it happen again.""
My mother looked at me.
A sad smile appeared.
"You still protect everyone.""
I looked away.
"Someone has to.""
That sentence hurt her.
I knew it did.
The officer waited.
Finally, my mother nodded.
"I'll go.""
"No.""
I grabbed her arm.
She looked surprised.
It was the first time I touched her since she came back.
"I need answers.""
She whispered.
"I know.""
"Then don't disappear.""
Her face broke.
"I won't.""
The officer led her away.
Devon watched her leave.
He didn't cry.
That scared me.
Because when Devon stopped crying, it usually meant he was hurting too much.
We stood outside the courthouse for almost twenty minutes.
The sky was gray.
Cars passed.
People walked by.
Everyone was living normal lives.
I hated them for it.
Because my entire world had fallen apart before lunch.
A black SUV pulled into the parking lot.
I didn't notice it at first.
Then the door opened.
A man stepped out.
He was tall.
Gray suit.
Dark hair.
Older than I remembered.
But I knew him.
My body knew him before my mind accepted it.
Devon grabbed my hand.
"Elijah.""
I couldn't answer.
The man looked directly at us.
He didn't look surprised.
He looked like he had been waiting.
He walked closer.
Slowly.
Each step felt louder than the last.
When he stopped in front of us, he stared at Devon.
Then me.
"My boys.""
I felt sick.
Nobody had called us that in years.
Not since before everything changed.
I stepped in front of Devon.
"Who are you?""
The man's expression softened.
Like my question hurt him.
Then he said the words that made my blood run cold.
"You're really asking me that?""
I didn't move.
"I said, who are you?""
The man looked at the courthouse behind us.
Then back at me.
"I think your mother told you I was dead.""
My fists clenched.
"You are Daniel Cole.""
He smiled sadly.
"So she did tell you.""
Devon hid behind me.
I could feel him shaking.
I stared at the man who had been missing for three years.
The man whose name was on the custody papers.
The man my mother feared.
"Where have you been?""
I asked.
Daniel looked at me for a long moment.
Then he said:
"Trying to find you.""
I almost laughed.
"Find us?""
His eyes hardened.
"Elijah, your mother didn't disappear to protect you.""
The words hit me.
"Then why?""
He looked toward the courthouse doors where my mother had just been taken.
And his voice dropped.
"Because she was the one who betrayed us.""
Before I could respond, he reached into his coat.
He pulled out a photograph.
He handed it to me.
My fingers shook as I took it.
It was a picture of my mother.
But not the mother I remembered.
This picture showed her standing beside someone.
Someone I didn't recognize.
Someone smiling.
Someone holding a file.
On the back of the photograph was a date.
Three years ago.
The day my mother supposedly died.
May you like
And written underneath was one sentence:
*"She knew exactly what she was doing.""*
